(MIAMI) � When three new Ritz-Carlton hotels, a Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami and The Setai all opened within a few years of each other in Miami, the city's status as a world-class international destination was confirmed. A slew of new luxury hotel projects, however, are taking the city and surrounding beachside communities to yet another level altogether:

� The Regent Bal Harbour Hotel (www.RegentHotels.com/BalHarbour), opened in March 2008, is an elegant oceanfront hotel located on the northeastern tip of Bal Harbour Village, with views over Baker�s Haulover Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. The 17-story hotel features 124 spacious guest rooms and executive suites, located in four towers. The hotel's Guerlain Spa, a 14-room, 10,000-square-foot oasis, is the first in North America.

� The De Soleil South Beach (www.VincciSouthBeach.com), the Art Deco District�s first top-to-bottom new-build in nearly 50 years, celebrated its grand opening in February 2007. Situated between Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue and distinctive for its stunningly "kinetic" architecture, the hotel features 80 guest suites, all with their own over-sized balconies lavishly outfitted for entertaining. 27 exquisite rooftop Terrace suites with awe inspiring ocean view full European spa treatments available in the privacy of your suite or terrace; and signature food and beverage venues Table 8 South Beach and Table 8 Lounge.

� Canyon Ranch Miami Beach (www.CanyonRanchMiamiBeach.com) is set to open in early 2008. The historic Carillon Hotel has been restored beyond its original splendor and now boasts 150 luxurious guest suites, a wellness spa, fitness center, gourmet oceanfront dining and comprehensive health and healing facilities. It will be the first residential and resort community for the famed wellness center based in Tucson, Arizona.

� Gansevoort South (www.GansevoortSouth.com), a luxury mixed-use development including a 232-room hotel, is scheduled to open the first quarter of 2008 and will be the first extension of the Gansevoort brand beyond Hotel Gansevoort in New York City. The hotel will feature a 22,000-square-foot rooftop retreat with spectacular ocean views, 110-foot-long pool, bar and lounge.

� Mondrian South Beach Hotel Residences (www.MondrianSouthBeach.com) is also scheduled to open in early 2008. Located on newly fashionable Biscayne Bay with spectacular views of the ocean, bay and downtown Miami, the curvilinear modernist building has 335 studios, one and two bedrooms and penthouses designed by award-winning Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.

� Sol� on the Ocean (www.SoleontheOcean.com) is opening in Sunny Isles Beach in the Summer of 2008. The 250-room hotel will feature a dramatic two-story lobby facing the ocean and contemporary design by world-renown interior designer Stephane Dupoux. The pet-friendly North Miami Beach hotel will boast state-of-theart technology, Kimpton lifestyle luxury services and amenities such as an on-site fitness center and spa services; infinity-edged pool; business center, concierge services and 5,000 square feet of event and meeting space. To keep pace with the new wave of hotels in Miami, established resorts have also poured millions into renovations, upgrading rooms and adding amenities. From beachfront resorts to urban oases, with spas that rank among the world's best and magical restaurants overseen by celebrity chefs, Miami's luxury hotels and resorts cater to the world's most discriminating travelers. Not since Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and their infamous Rat Pack held court at the Fontainebleau has Miami attracted such a parade of well-heeled clientele.

New Luxury Hotels Light Up Miami's Lodging Scene Among other new additions to Miami's high-end lodging scene is the 51-story Acqualina Resort (www.AcqualinaResort.com), which made its debut in Sunny Isles in May 2006. The resort has been receiving rave reviews for the Mediterranean-inspired d�cor of its 97-room ultra-luxury boutique tower and 188 lavish residences. Guests of Acqualina can enjoy world-class services and amenities, including the elegant Il Mulino New York restaurant, a two-story oceanfront spa, three swimming pools, tropical garden areas and a private beach club.

The Setai (www.Setai.com) opened in 2005 on Collins Avenue in South Beach. The hotel offers 75 impeccably detailed guestrooms and 50 suites, an intimate spa, three pools at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and ultra-chic restaurants and bars. The hotel recreates the style of Miami Beach's illustrious Art Deco era, while incorporating highlights from Shanghai's Art Deco period. A grand lobby is decorated in Shanghai brick, bronze and rich teak, imported stone and exquisite Asian art and artifacts. One-, two- and three-bedroom suites are available, as well as a palatial 10,000 square-foot penthouse with a rooftop pool and sweeping panoramas of the ocean and Miami skyline.

Meanwhile, Ritz-Carlton maintains a major presence in Miami. In no other city worldwide does the company boast three properties in such close proximity -- all are ten minutes from downtown Miami. The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach (www.RitzCarlton.com) opened in January 2004 after a $200 million restoration of the historic 1950s DiLido Hotel. The oceanfront resort, located in the heart of South Beach's eye-popping Art Deco District, is a showcase for Art Moderne design, with 375 rooms and suites resembling staterooms on a luxury ocean liner. Many of the hotel�s original design elements by Miami Beach visionary Morris Lapidus have been preserved, including black terrazzo floors. The hotel boasts a 13,000 square-foot spa and fitness center, an elevated central pool and an art collection valued at over $2 million. The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne is located just five miles from downtown Miami on the idyllic, laid-back key known for pricey real estate and top-rated beaches. Featuring 402 well-appointed guestrooms and suites overlooking lushly landscaped gardens and the Atlantic Ocean, the Ritz Carlton is home to a 20,000 square-foot ocean view spa. A full slate of wellness classes, including Pilates, yoga and aqua-aerobics, is offered and for the even more ambitious, the hotel has an 11-court Tennis Garden and nearby championship golf. Parents can relax while their children are entertained at the Ritz Kids pavilion with their own pool and beach playground.

Five minutes away, the Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove is an intimate boutique hotel (with only 115 rooms and suites) with an astonishing array of amenities that helped earn it the AAA Five-Diamond Award. Taking personal service to a new level, the hotel staff includes Bow Wow butlers to exercise, feed and provide entertainment (doggie videos, etc.) for guests' pets. Bath butlers organize and draw luxurious soaks from a wide array of bath menus, including a gentlemen's bath complete with cognac, and fitness butlers will schedule in-room yoga sessions or have exercise equipment delivered from the hotel's on-site fitness center and spa to guestrooms.

Open in downtown Miami since 2001, the 329-room Mandarin Oriental, Miami(www.MandarinOriental.com) also holds the coveted AAA Five-Diamond Award, along with its signature restaurant Azul. Blending a cool Asian design aesthetic with sexy touches that reflect Miami's diverse cultural influences, Mandarin Oriental is a perfect fit in a cosmopolitan, sophisticated city. Not content to rest on its laurels, the hotel introduced a new private beach at the luxurious waterfront property, the Beach Club. Here guests can enjoy Oriental-style furnishings, while being tended to by beach butlers, who pamper guests with cool towels and mist services. Award-winning Azul boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Biscayne Bay and a stunning white marbleclad open kitchen and raw bar that provides the stage for the restaurant's Latin/Asian/French cuisine. A deluxe three-level waterfront spa offers the ultimate escape with 17 private treatment rooms that each use natural textures such as bamboo, rice paper, and natural linens. The Four Seasons Hotel, Miami (www.FourSeasons.com/miami), a $379 million sleek column that has reshaped the Miami skyline, opened on downtown�s Brickell Avenue in late 2003. An urban oasis, the Four Seasons offers unparalleled views of Biscayne Bay and the city from a 65,000 square-foot roof terrace complete with pools, sundecks and palm trees. The hotel will install four deluxe poolside cabanas by early 2008. Each cabana will feature a 26-inch LCD television, refrigerator, iPod docking station, day bed and private dining area. The luxurious property encompasses 221 guest rooms, as well as condominium and hotel/condo units. With amenities that include the 40,000-square-foot Splash Spa and salon as well as The Sports Club/LA fitness facility and toprated Acqua restaurant, business and pleasure blend daily.

Just a few doors down is the Conrad Hilton (www.ConradHotels.com). Opened in summer 2004, this premier luxury hotel for business travelers offers special amenities that include private butlers for guests and spa services brought right to your room. The nearby JW Marriott Hotel Miami(www.MarriottHotels.com/miajw), a 22-story business hotel and meeting center, was designed to meet the demands of today's sophisticated traveler with 300 elegantly and ergonomically furnished rooms and a 24-hour business center.

The luxurious Grove Isle Hotel & Spa (www.GroveIsle.com) located on Coconut Grove�s private island is just minutes away from the city life of Coconut Grove. The only destination of its kind in South Florida, The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa is a private island sanctuary, offering a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of Miami. The moment you pass through Grove�s gates, you�ll feel as though you have been transported to another era; bougainvillea and tropical flowers beckon you along a fragrant path to your own British Colonial island outpost.

Luxury Resorts on South Beach A mere decade ago, luxury resort hotels were virtually nonexistent on South Beach. As boutique hotels began to signify the Art Deco District's renaissance, the need for accommodation for discerning travelers accustomed to the conveniences and amenities of larger resort properties jump-started a second wave of renovation and development. Today, a perfect balance of elegant small hotels and luxury resorts make South Beach a popular destination for everyone.

On the southern tip of Ocean Drive, the Hilton Bentley South Beach(www.Hilton.com) is located in South Beach�s hottest new landscape � �SoFi� or �South of Fifth.� The hotel recently opened a new restaurant called VIVI Ristorante and new lounge called Jack's. The acquisition of an attached hotel expanded the number of guest rooms by 10 and new meeting space is also now available.

The Delano (www.Delano-Hotel.com), South Beach's epicenter of cool, is small and exclusive, but teeming with amenities that its celebrity clients crave, including the famed Blue Door restaurant and the rooftop spa, Agua. Likewise, The Shore Club(www.ShoreClub.com) oozes with chic and Zen-like calm. Remarkable for its clean cutting-edge design, the hotel is home to Nobu restaurant, a sparkling pool and a rooftop spa offering fruit-based treatments.

Known as "The Art Hotel," the Sagamore Hotel (www.SagamoreHotel.com) combines art and design with top-notch service. Simple yet stylish, this Miami boutique hotel offers an elegant art collection from local and international artists, which can be seen in the public areas as well as all guestrooms. An ocean front zero-entry infinity edge pool and the Saga Bar and Lounge, are just a few of its hip amenities. Just a few blocks west, in the heart of the Art Deco district of South Beach, Hotel Victor (www.HotelVictorSouthBeach.com) captures the glory, beauty and decadence of the 1930�s, set against a backdrop of sophisticated Parisian style. Adjacent to the famed �Versace Mansion� and within walking distance to the area�s hottest nightlife and finest restaurants and shopping, the hotel is a prime spot to see and be seen.

Grande Dames and Old Favorites Miami's grande dames, the resorts that predate the recent boom, are renovating and innovating, staying current in Miami's burgeoning luxury market. The National Historic Landmark Biltmore Hotel(www.BiltmoreHotel.com), overnight choice of presidents and royalty, recently finished a multi-million dollar renovation of its 280 guest rooms and suites. Tucked away in a residential Coral Gables neighborhood, the Biltmore is a luxurious hideaway appealing to in-the-know guests who enjoy its Old World charms. Some enjoy teeing up at the Biltmore Golf Club, the 18-hole par 71 course that was built in 1925 and received a $5 million upgrade in 2007, while others appreciate relaxing treatments at the elegant new $2.5 million Biltmore Spa. The historic hotel also boasts the largest hotel swimming pool in the continental United States and has recently renovated its private poolside cabanas. Golf is the main event at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa (www.DoralResort.com), the 650-acre resort that recently completed a $75 million renovation. With 695 guest rooms and suites, the home of the PGA Tour event Doral Ryder Open offers 99 holes of golf, including the famed Blue Monster. Additionally, guests enjoy world- class tennis facilities and the European-inspired Spa at Doral, which completed a $3 million renovation in 2006.

Speaking of golfer�s paradise, the 300-acre Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club (www.TurnberryIsle.com) in Aventura, is a 395-room property that is a world unto itself. The resort includes a marina, two 18-hole championship golf courses, 19 tennis courts, two swimming pools and a 25,000 square-foot pampering spa. Guests have access to a nearby beach club run by the resort. Other Miami golf resorts that are well worth a visit include The Links at The Fisher Island Hotel & Resort(www.FisherIsland.com) and Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club (www.DonShulaHotel.com).

A Miami Beach landmark since opening in 1954, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach (www.Fontainebleau.com) is the biggest and perhaps the most famous hotel on Miami Beach. Stomping grounds for Elvis, Frank Sinatra and countless other swinging celebrities during its first heyday and renowned for its whimsical Morris Lapidus architecture and design, the resort recently opened a luxury tower and is in the process of a $1 billion expansion/renovation, which is scheduled for completion in Fall 2008. The 22-acre complex will include 1,504 luxury guest rooms and suites, a 40,000 square foot spa, 11 restaurants and lounges, expansive pool complex and extensive meeting space.

Next door, The Eden Roc, A Renaissance Beach Resort & Spa(www.EdenRocResort.com) is currently undergoing construction of a new 283-room tower to be completed by Fall 2008. The hotel is closed to allow a multimillion-dollar restoration of the existing 349-room tower and is expected to reopen in the Fall of 2008.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an independent not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and the Beaches for leisure, business and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit our website at www.MiamiAndBeaches.com or call 1-888-76-Miami (US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777. To reach the GMCVB offices dial 305-539-3000.

Meeting planners may call 1-800-933-8448 (US/Canada only) or 305-539-3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com.

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Media Contact: Michelle Revuelta michelle@gmcvb.com (305) 539 3111